The fledgling began to pull away, it was sudden, out of nowhere, but she retreated from them as though they were an enemy of some sort. It left them all confused, concerned for her wellbeing, wondering what the cause of such an unusual move on her part could be.
The had sought out those that their fledgling was closest too, hoping to gain some sort of insight, some sort of idea of what could be causing the withdraw from the bright fledgling.
Nisroc had shrugged, shaking his head, when his archangel had questioned him on the matter as they walked through the late years training. The Power seemed just as confused as he was, promising to share anything that may be brought to him on the matter, the two of them, the Captain and fledgling, had been friends for quite some time and he was something akin to a confidant when it came to secret's she did not want exposed to others. Though, when the matter called for it, he did make certain persons aware when those secrets were bad enough.
Gabriel had garnered much of the same response from his own Captain, Zaveriel seemed confused at the knowledge that his young friend had pulled away from her loving guardian(s), it was no secret that the fledgling adored them, and in turn, they adored her just as much. He promised, on the same term that the Power had, to come forward with any information he may obtain.
The Healer gained a bit more luck, when it came to fledglings, and that one in particular, their treatment in the Infirmary was something he was always informed of. It had been a practice since long before, and it would be one for the times coming, fledglings required a bit more care then elders did, and he took their wellbeing to heart in all cases. Cuts and scrapes could be handled by the others, but things a bit more serious, broken bones and problems with their growing grace, those were brought to the attention of the archangel among them.
Constantine nodded to his soft inquiry "The fledgling was in here just the other day." He took in the surprise that crossed his archangels features, and continued on to explain further "A few feathers had been pulled from her starry wings, begged us not to tell you, of course we were going to but it had honestly been forgotten in the growing number of patients that flooded our hands the other day."
"Feathers were missing?"
He nodded, "A few of them. It appeared as though they had been plucked. She was rather tightlipped about the whole matter of the cause."
Raphael nodded, absorbing this information for further examination "Was there anything else?"
The younger healer took a moment to think, and he gave his Virtue his patience, he was not lying when he noted that their hands had been rather full for the past few days, it was easy to forgot something that had fallen out of sight. Though he truly wished he had been made aware of this occurrence sooner, it was not something he could fault his healer on.
"I don't remember much beyond that. We washed out the area that had been pluck, I do remember though, that there was a sprain. A bruise to the scapula and a sprained wrist. We bound the sprained wing and she went along on her way."
"And she never declared what had caused such a thing?"
"No. Not for lack of trying either. She refused to speak word on the matter."
The Healer nodded, "Thank you." And the other nodded in turn, heading back to the patient he had been pulled away from when the Healer had begun asking around for any news that there might be on the concerning matter at hand.
He took the information in mind, his thoughts whirling with all possibilities, and took such findings back to his brothers that night, their fledgling having failed to return to their villa for the fourth night in a row. It was not worrisome for her absence, she still spent some nights at the Pantheon, more specifically, with Jeremiah. But the details of the matter unknown is what caused their concern, thoughts developing that her absence was due to hiding the problem she faced currently, as they knew not to go looking for her when she was with the Choir Elder, especially in a situation as delicate as the one they currently faced. Anything too much might make her withdraw completely, and from the discovery of such injury being made to her delicate downy wings, having her withdraw from them was not an option to be taken.
"Something is going on, something she does not want others to know of, but what it may be remains a mystery."
Michael was distressed, a fledgling was being harmed right under his nose, and there was little he could do to aid in the situation they faced. He was at a standstill, at the silence on the matter, and it hurt him deeply to know that someone so small needed protecting and he could do little to protect them from the unknown tormentor.
His younger brother nodded at his stated inquiry "I fear it to be so. There is little that can be done until the matter is brought forth, though it pains me to say so, perhaps we should just stand by until it comes to light."
"And allow someone to mess with the wings of a fledgling?" The Messenger was perhaps just as afflicted as the Prince was, he cared deeply for the fledglings, spending much of his free time playing with them in the garden, and to think one's wings were being plucked was unnerving "That's despicable to ever suggest."
"What should we do then, little brother?" the Healer turned to him with sparkling eyes, his temper close to peaking, the entire scenario had them all on edge "You know just as well as I that any forcing of the matter would only cause more withdrawment and that is the last thing we need at this precarious juncture."
He deflated at the chastisement from his elder, nodding in silence to his response to such an exclamation, and the Healer dipped his chin downwards to take away some of the sternness from the rebuff. They were all tense at the moment, and though infighting would do nothing but harm, there was no blame to be had in the stresses getting to one.
They concluded their discussion on the promise of keeping a closer eye on their fledgling, as much as one was able to, and all turned in for the night so they may begin their duties at sunrise with vigor.
Just as it had been the Healer to gain such insight on the aftermath of whatever situation there may be, it was also him who happened upon it, unexpectedly of course, as he strolled through the Garden deep in thought. The sound of a high pitched note of distress pulled him from his thoughts on a single quick note, and he turned in immediate action to discover the source of such a note of distress, it came from someone young, from the pitch of the note, and worry ebbed at his insides until he could catch sight of its owner.
He stepped through the bushes, between a few trees, and crested through in time to see a hand yank a starry feather from a pair of soft downy wings. There was another high-pitched note, the owner of the feather jumping from the sharp sting and whirled around to shove at the one who had dared pluck a feather from the wings of a fledgling.
The culprit was small in stature, another fledgling perhaps, and he reached to pluck another, words of anger on his lips as he pulled another free and the fledgling he tortured jumped at the sting and made another note of distress.
"What in our Father's name do you think you are doing?"
His voice cut over whatever hate filled snarl the other fledgling was about to spew, it cut over the distressed fledgling cries, and had them both spinning around in surprise. They watched with wide eyes as the Archangel marched through the brush and tall grass to join them, eyes shining with anger and heat, the fledgling holding the feathers stared in horror as he drew nearer and nearer, dropping the feathers in his grasp as he watched every step with great caution.
"How dare you do such a cruel thing, and to a fellow fledgling!"
The Healers own little fledgling curled in on herself, little wings tucking in closely, at the shame of having been found out. It made his temper boil to know that this is what been going on behind their backs, away from the prying eyes of elders who would have put a stop to such horrid behavior at first sight of it.
The caregivers who watched over the fledglings, while the elders and guardians could not while they attended to their duties, had failed at their task of minding all of the fledglings. There were few left from the destruction of the war, a sad result from such a needless battle, and it was inexcusable for their negligence. They fell under his flock, being healers and caregivers to the young ones, and they would be dealt with as necessary for their blindness to the matter that was going on right under their noses.
But first he dealt with this matter he had come upon on pure luck, "I have half a mind to drape you over that upturned trunk there for such an act. I would not usually do such to one so young, though firm hand is needed, there is no need for much more, but this behavior is inexcusable." He stopped first at the fledgling who wings had been afflicted and turned her with gentle, but stern hands, pulling a small wing out to examine the damage done. There was a small pattern of pink skin where feathers had been pluck earlier then this occasion, and then the inflamed skin where they had been so meanly pulled more recently.
Once he was sure the damage was minimal at best, he secured her in place by a mere look, stern and angered, and she ducked down to look to her feet under such a glance. She would not dare try and leave from her place, not wanting to face the wrath of the raging Healer, who would show her the same as the one responsible. It was wrong to pull feathers from the wings of anyone, but especially so from those of a fledgling, no matter who's hand did the act in question. It was just as bad to allow it to happen without seeking help.
His attentions turned to the young one responsible for the damage, wide eyes stared at him as he drew neared, kneeling to face him directly, grabbing him by the arms with a gentle but firm grip.
"I have half a mind to send you in search of a switch to be used, daring to pluck from another's wings, is that what you want?" he shook his lightly, not wanting to add too much, lest he terrify the already shaking fledgling, "To have that small bottom of yours bared and switched?"
The little thing shook his head quickly, eyes welling with tears despite there being no sting on neither wing nor bottom, and he forced himself to steel his resolve at the sight of watery little eyes.
"Such behavior is intolerable, inexcusable, from both Elder and Fledgling. Had it been anyone else who found you in such a terrible act, they would not have been as lenient as I have, scolding while they smacked that bottom of yours." A tear slipped from one eye, and then from the other, but he paid it no mind, they best stop this behavior now before it turned into something much worse as he grew "I ought to give you the same stinging feeling as you gave to our friend."
"P—Pl—Please do—don't pu—ll my fe—feathers!"
He shook his head firmly, gripping his arms a bit tighter, for a brief moment before loosening it again "I can think of more ways to bring about such a sting other than from plucking feathers. Do you want that to happen? Do you want me to bend you over that trunk, there?"
"N—No sir!"
"Then don't ever let me find, sight or word, that you ever pulled another's feathers out, ever." He fixed him with a look that even brought the youngest archangel to shame "Do you understand me?"
"Y—Yes sir! I—I underst—stand!"
Perhaps he was being a bit too gentle, a bit too lenient, given the severity of the offence, but he would never switch a fledgling. Perhaps, take them over his knee when the action caused for such firmness, but nothing more then that. Of course, they did not know such things, which ensured that the mere threat of meeting such an end would quell such behavior that garnered a threat of such degree in more times then not.
It was only in those special circumstances, when those threats went ignored, that he was a bit more firmer in delivering the tough love that was needed to teach right from wrong.
"Good." Despite his empty threat, he still turned him, giving a few stern swats to the small bottom as a reminder to the end he would meet should he ever do such things again. The little one whined, choking on a soft sob, as the archangel stood back to his full height, and rubbed miserably at his smarting bottom "Now, hush your cries, little one." Warm hands cradled the sides of his face, thumbs brushing the evidence of tears away tenderly "There are no need for tears, hush now, just know I will be watching now. I don't want to take such a firm hand to you, so I ask, please don't force me to." He tilted the little head up to meet his eyes, they were kinder now, not so angry, and the little boy sniffled and nodded "Good. Now, return, back to the others with you. I want you to find a place to lay down and rest for a while. Do you understand?" he smiled at the meek nod to his gentle order, and he stepped forward to do as he was told at the gesture from the archangel, a hand curling around the back of his head as he passed.
With that out of the way, he sighed, turning back to look at his own fledgling. Little Akeelah stared at the grass under her toes, not daring look up to meet her big brothers eyes, not until a finger under her chin forced her to.
"Now," he didn't sound so angry anymore, he sounded more concerned, then angry "As for you." Her own eyes watered as they stared into his eyes, they were so concerned, so worried, and it was all her fault that he felt so bad "What on earth were you thinking?" he led her over to the trunk, lifting her under the arms to sit on it, and knelt before her, curling his long nimble fingers over her legs "Do you have any idea how worried we've all been?" he brushed a stray curl from her eyes, tucking it behind her ear, as her braids had been taken out the night before for washing, and they had yet to be redone. Lucifer had wanted to, he'd been waiting to do so, as he knew she preferred them during the day, her curls often got into her eyes and it annoyed her. "Why wouldn't you have come told us? Any of us?"
She looked down to his hands, to her lap, "I didn' want make anyone mad." He cupped a hand over her left cheek, "We would have been upset, I guarantee, but not at you, little bear."
"I'm sorry I didn' say anythin'."
"Me too." He smiled when their eyes met again, "I would never want you to feel the sting of having feathers plucked from your little wings. I loath for it to happen again, but, if it does, promise to tell someone?" the fledgling nodded her agreement, it was a time consuming thing, trying to teach one who had only relied on themselves for so long, to seek help when help was needed, but they had the patience of saints.
He squeezed her little thighs gently, eliciting a smile from her saddened features, and he took it as progress "Mind if I take a closer look?"
The fledgling shook her head, allowing him to pick her up once more, set him on his lap as he turned to lean back on the stump. He worked his fingers gently, and diligently, through the small soft feathers. He felt up the joint that had been sprained some weeks ago, healed now given the time it needed, and felt around the plucked patches for any reaction to the light pressure, none was had, and he brushed his fingers through the soft fluffy down of the fledgling wings before him. He curled his fingers around the tip of the wing, around the outer most phalange, and stretched it out carefully. She turned to look at him over her shoulder in question to the action, and he chuckled at the look she graced him with, running the fingers of his free hand over the tops of the soft downy feathers.
"There is something I've been meaning to look further into."
"What's that, big brother?" her innocence was heartwarming.
"Some angels have sensitive wings, just like our dearest brother Gabriel, and I wonder if yours are perhaps the same in fashion."
Of course, the fledgling has seen the way he tortures the Messenger, bringing him to his knees with a few good scratches to one of his golden wings, how merciless his torment of him is, and she shivers as the thought of her falling to it crosses her young mind, tugging experimentally on the wing secured tenderly in his grasp.
"Big brother!"
He merely smiles at her, his fingers dipping under the thick fluffy feathers, and he takes in the way her entire form stiffens when his fingers come to rest on the soft pink flesh underneath.
"My my, we shall investigate this further, won't we?"
She shakes her head, a smile trying to break through the grim look that has overcome her features, and he digs in only just, experimentally, and smiles fondly when a bright shriek manages to escape from her fruitless determination to remain silent.
"I'm not sure, my little bear, that tummy of yours has been my favorite place for quite some time, but I think these little wings will quickly surpass it."
"You're mean."
This time, a rare playfully bright grin breaks over his features, she sees it most over everyone, and immediately regrets her choice of words.
"That," he digs in, only just, once, again "That was not mean." She shrieks again, falling back, when he digs his fingers in again, a bit more this time, and travels a tingly path over the small appendage. He's had plenty of practice searching out those particularly bad spots, mostly on the Messenger of course, and chuckles when her fingers curl into the bottom of his robes when he finds one of those spots and gives it a bit more attention "This, perhaps, is a bit mean."